GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. –
Trevor Baskin had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double and
Blaise Threatt and
Christopher Speller each added 15 points as Colorado Mesa men's basketball defeated Texas A&M Kingsville by a 71-65 score.
The Mavericks shot 48 percent from the floor, 33 percent from three and 75 percent from the line. They outrebounded the Javelinas 42-30. The win improves the Mavs to a 3-0 record ahead of tomorrow night's match at Texas A&M International.
Baskin's double-double is the first of the year for the redshirt sophomore forward, after he recorded four last season. The 12 rebounds are one away from Baskin's career-high.
Neither team shot the ball well during the first half, as the Mavericks and Javelinas combined to shoot 2 of 23 from three-point range. The difference was that CMU found success inside with Baskin, who went 4-for-6 in the first half, and Speller, who made all four of his first-half field-goal attempts, including the Mavs' only three-pointer in the first 20 minutes.
The Mavs also enjoyed an 11-rebound advantage on the glass before halftime, culminating in CMU holding Texas A&M Kingsville to just 20 first-half points and heading to the locker room with a 33-20 lead.
The Javelinas picked up the offense in the second half, shooting 54 percent and scoring 45 points, but CMU stayed in front the whole way thanks in large part to Threatt's emergence in the second half. The redshirt sophomore guard scored 11 of his 15 points and distributed four of his six assists in the second half, including a dagger step-back three-pointer with 3:52 to play that made it 61-54 after TAMK had cut the lead to four.
The Mavericks were able to close it out at the line, making six of eight free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds as the Javelinas fouled to try to claw back in it.
Mac Riniker tied a career-high with three blocks and added two steals. The Mavericks forced 16 turnovers, although they did have 25 themselves.
Colorado Mesa will look to extend their unbeaten start to the year by facing Texas A&M International at 6 p.m. (MT) Saturday night. The Dustdevils are also 3-0, with wins over Chadron State, South Dakota Mines and Western Colorado. The game is available to watch on pay-per-view on the Lone Star network, or can be followed for free via the live stat links at cmumavericks.com.
